fatality
by yrume
Summary: KakuHidan - violence/gore; shonen ai/yaoi in some chapters - When Kakuzu comes home from a mission, a new team partner awaits him. And he is not amused about it. Not at all. Not yet...
1. part 1

He is back from the mission. Finally. And he is bored. Not really _bored_ – there was a lot of fighting and killing, actually. Rather _frustrated_. He doesn't like missions that don't earn him any money, that is. Not at all.

Kakuzu opens the door and enters the hall, and seven pairs of eyes are directed at him. He can barely suppress a growl. He knows those looks. He knows those expressions on their faces. They have been waiting for him.

"What is it now again?", he asks, putting emphasis on the word _again_.

It's always the same. They need _his_ _help_. Oh, how he hates it.

Pein makes one step forward.

"We have a patient for you", he says.

As expected.

Kakuzu lets his eyes wander across his mates, and a little frown appears on his face. None of them is wounded, not even the most reckless one.

"Who?", the miser asks lazily.

He isn't really interested. He doesn't like treating people who aren't part of their organization, and they know it.

"Your new partner", Pein says.

Oh, they're such a pain. Every time Kakuzu is on a mission, they recruit a new member in the meantime. Just because his partners don't stay very long. The last one died only a few weeks ago. An accident. An accident having to do with his throat and one of Kakuzu's kunai, to be precise.

"You must be kidding me", the banker says, not bothering to suppress a yawn.

He isn't really tired. He never is. He just wants to show how much he cares about others. Not at all, actually.

"You'll like this one", Konan now chimes in, adding a faint smile.

"Oh, really?"

Sarcasm is a wonderful, _wonderful_ thing. Tastes so good on that old tongue of his, which is barely creating any words during the day.

"Really", Konan says, sounding oddly serious.

"You should take a look at him."

"Him", Kakuzu repeats quietly, mumbling to himself.

At least it's a man. Kakuzu does respect Konan, but he doesn't want to be paired with her. Or any other woman. Or anyone at all, actually, but it seems as if it couldn't be helped.

"Okay", the miser sighs, slightly angry about himself giving in so quickly.

"Where is he?"

"That's so kind of you", Konan says, and Kakuzu gets even angrier, because he knows she means it.

However, he follows the blue haired woman.

"You'll like him", she repeats while walking, "he's… different."

"Different", Kakuzu parrots, trying to keep up the mocking tone.

"Different from all your former partners", Konan says and opens the door to a small room on the right.

"You'll be surprised."

Not only is he surprised, Kakuzu is _awestruck_ by what he sees. He blinks, once, twice, a third time, but the picture in front of his eyes remains the same. A kid, a fucking _kid_ is sitting there, curled up in a ball, shaking. There is blood everywhere around him. On the couch he is sitting on, on the floor, even on the walls. Kakuzu can sense that his chakra is flowing through his system extremely slowly, and he knows very well what that means.

"C'mon", he drawls, shooting Konan a glare, "you can't be serious."

"What?", she asks, keeping that annoying smile on her face.

"This guy is badly injured", the miser growls.

If he says badly, he means badly.

"Close to dying, to be honest."

"Exactly", the woman says, her voice low and soft, "that's the interesting bit about him."

Kakuzu groans.

"I'm not treating half-dead people."

"Look at him", Konan snaps.

With another annoyed groan Kakuzu turns around and stares at the miserable figure on the couch. He is young, way younger than him, and a lot shorter.

Well, those are things Kakuzu isn't really surprised about. He himself is tall, maybe not as tall as Kisame, but taller than the others, and he is _definitely_ the oldest amongst them.

But there must be a reason Konan is that persistent. There has to be something special about that boy, after all, and so Kakuzu takes a closer look.

He is pale, this little guy. Deathly pale. White. Even his hair is white. It is hanging down in sticky strands, tangled with dirt and blood and sweat.

His breath is coming way too slow and fitful, as if he was about to stop the next second, and he is bleeding profusely, thick red streams running down his shaking body. The wound on his chest is deep, deeper than Kakuzu thought at first, and looks really, really bad.

Oh yes, Konan was right. This _is_ interesting. There _are_ things that surprise Kakuzu, things he only notices now. This guy is close to death, seriously injured and almost unable to breathe, but for some reason he is still conscious, and obviously fully aware of what is happening around him.

His eyes are red, bloodshot, and they stare right into Kakuzu's green ones. They are flickering with fear, with pain, but also with –

"Who're you?", he asks.

His voice is shaky, yet strong, and even sounds a little angry.

"Your savior", Kakuzu says. He just can't help it.

"Go to hell!"

The miser raises an eyebrow, unable to believe his ears. Did this kid just yell at him?

"I want to help you", he says, although that isn't completely true. Yes, he _is_ amazed by this little guy, by the fact that he is still talking. However, _Konan_ is the one who wants to help him.

"I don't need your help", the boy huffs, straightening himself and glaring at the other shinobi.

The blood he coughs up is darker, almost black, staining his chin and throat with almost artful spots, and Kakuzu chuckles to himself.

"Oh, I think you do", he says when the small frame slumps down again. He watches the boy rest his head against the wall, obviously too weak to lift it again.

"Or do you want me to let you die?"

There it is, the strange excitement that seizes Kakuzu's body whenever he thinks about death. Yes, the others want him to treat this little guy, but he would prefer to let him die. He loves watching people die. All the pain, the suffering, the desperation – wonderful. And this time he wouldn't even have to _do_ something. Killing without moving one single finger, that would be a completely new experience.

"I won't die."

There is a strange certainty in the boy's voice, as well as in his eyes, and Kakuzu lifts his head with surprise.

"No?", he smirks, slightly amused by the smaller one's self-confidence. He is barely in control of his body, but yet he thinks he is fine. What a brave kid.

"No", he says, "I'll never die."

Kakuzu raises his eyebrow again.

"Sure."

"It's true", Konan suddenly says.

Kakuzu now raises both his eyebrows.

"Are you trying to tell me this kid is _immortal_?"

This must be a joke. A really bad one. Kakuzu hates jokes.

"When we found him, he was already dead", Konan explains, "but for some strange reason, he started breathing again after a short while. We had a nice talk, and then Pein decided to bring him here. Right, Hidan?"

Hidan, then. Kakuzu isn't sure why, but somehow he likes the name.

"Immortal", the injured smirks, perfectly imitating the way Kakuzu spat out the word some seconds ago.

What an annoying little brat. Now the miser _really_ wants to let him die. But if Konan is right, he is not going to succeed.

"What will happen if I don't help you?", Kakuzu speaks lazily. If this kid is convinced to be immortal, there is no need to hurry.

"Nothing", Hidan huffs, "I'll be fine in a few days."

The banker chuckles again. Oh my, it is so obvious that the boy is lying. He is in pain, probably in severe pain, and his heart beat is at a dangerously low rate, even though he is kind of nervous.

"This wound is not gonna heal", Kakuzu says, "if I don't treat you, you'll be bleeding for all eternity."

Hidan's voice is almost a whisper now.

"Would be very much appreci…"

His body convulses as he coughs up more blood, thick and black and gushing down from the corners of his mouth so quickly, so unremittingly, so – irresistibly.

This is the moment Kakuzu enjoys most. All energy vanishes, the body goes limp, and then there is silence – but sadly, not in Hidan's case. He is still drawing breath, if with much difficulty, and his piercing eyes are still open.

"What now?", Konan asks, "You gonna stitch him up or not, Kakuzu?"

The addressed snorts but finally reaches out for the boy, enjoying the fact that he can't defend himself right now. He pushes away his arms which are still wrapped around his small body, then roughly grabs his bright hair to tilt his head up and takes a look at his injuries.

Yes, this is bad, but nothing Kakuzu isn't capable of. He has attached legs and arms and hands back to their owners' bodies so many times – Hidan's wounds are _nothing_ compared to that. Just a few stitches and he will be fine. If he can take the blood loss, that is.

Kakuzu sighs. He hates wasting his time and energy on treating people who die shortly after. Konan will have to come up with a good explanation if this should happen, now that she has told him Hidan is immortal.

The miser startles badly when the boy suddenly wraps his arms around his neck. His fingers are cold, ice cold, but yet their grip is somewhat strong.

For a short moment, Kakuzu doesn't dare to move. Maybe Hidan is just trying to get hold of something, but maybe he is clinging to him for a reason. Even though he doesn't admit it, he must be desperate for help, silently begging Kakuzu to ease his pain.

A strange feeling starts to develop inside of the banker, a feeling he hasn't felt for many, many years. Pity? Sympathy? Mercy?

"Lie back", he huffs, "I can't treat you like that."

He pushes the small frame, makes him fall down onto the couch. His black appendages start to snake out from under his clothes, reaching out for the tortured figure in front of him.

Hidan is almost choking on his own blood in this position, and starts panicking for a second. He tosses his head to the side and coughs once again, tries to spit away the liquid that is keeping him from breathing.

"Lie still", Kakuzu hisses, grabbing the other male's head roughly.

He can't concentrate with this delicate white body writhing beneath him. Hidan looks good with the blood spilled all over him, almost beautiful, and his desperate flailing gives Kakuzu a thrill.

For a short moment the miser hesitates, just stares at the younger one. He is wrecked, shattered, but yet there is not only fear but also a tiny bit of something else in his eyes, an expression Kakuzu can't interpret. Amusement? Pleasure? _Lust?_

Black threads finally pierce white skin, close the wound without care and rather quickly, making Hidan jerk with every stitch.

"Hurts", the older shinobi mumbles tonelessly, not really asking. He knows it does.

"No", is Hidan's answer, but Kakuzu can see that he is digging his fingernails into the mattress beneath him.

"Fine", he snaps, pulling even rougher. If the boy tries to play the brave one, this is what he gets.

Hidan cries out in pain, although he obviously really tried not to. His breath is rattling in his throat, blood sputtering out of his mouth with every gasp. He clenches his teeth, but can't keep himself from uttering a few more tortured moans while Kakuzu continues sewing. However, he doesn't pass out. He just lies there, trying not to move until the miser is finished.

"Well done", Kakuzu chuckles after the last stitch, and can't help patting the younger one's head.

"Now go take a shower or something", he says, "you can't run around like that."

Yes, he likes blood, but not in the house. It looks good on the battlefield. It looks good on an enemy's body. It even looks good on an ally's body from time to time. But it does _not_ look good on the carpet. Carpets are expensive, and so Kakuzu intends to keep the ones they already have instead of buying new ones every other day. It's already bad enough Zetsu always ruins them whenever he is around at the lair for dinner. He really doesn't need this boy bleeding all over the floor now.

Hidan stares at the miser from below, still sprawled out on the couch.

"I… I can't move yet", he says between pants, trying to catch his breath. He looks extremely tired all of a sudden, tired and exhausted and worn out.

Kakuzu frowns at him. Oh, how he hates wimps.

"I bet you can", he huffs and roughly hauls him to his feet by the forearm.

The boy almost falls, and Konan shoots Kakuzu a glare.

"Don't push him", she asks.

"Why not?", the banker says, "He said he would be fine."

"And so I am!," Hidan snaps.

Although he is still swaying on his feet, he shakes off the miser's arm. His eyes are flickering again when he glares at the older shinobi.

"I would've been even without you", he shouts, "I told you I don't need your fucking help!"

His _fucking_ help?

"You really shouldn't yell at me, you ungrateful brat", Kakuzu growls.

God, he is losing it again. He is calm usually, but he can't stand this kid, he absolutely can't. If only he was allowed to crash this shaky little frame, he would shatter Hidan to bits in no time.

"Calm down, you two", Konan says now, "there's no need to be that hating."

Kakuzu sighs. It is always like this. Konan always, _always_ right, and she stays calm no matter what.

"I'll go and tell Pein that you successfully treated him", she says, "you take care of your partner in the meantime?"

She smiles at Kakuzu once more, and he gives her a snort.

_Partner._ There is no way he will accept this kid as his partner. Hidan might be tough, but judging from the bad injuries on his chest he seems not to be too experienced in battle.

The blue haired kunoichi turns around once again before she leaves the room.

"Kakuzu?", she says, and the miser looks up, "thank you."

If only she wasn't like that. If only she wasn't that lovable. If only she was as rude and unfriendly as the others. Then it would be way easier for Kakuzu not to do what she asks for all the time.

Once Konan is gone, the miser grabs Hidan's arm again.

"Come on", he says and drags him along violently, out of the door and through the hall.

He realizes that the boy is still bleeding, if only a little bit. A few red drops trickle down from his body and stain the floor he is walking on, and Kakuzu hates him for it. He stops in front of another door and pushes it open angrily.

"Bathroom", he spits out, unable to produce a whole sentence due to his anger, and shoves him inside.

Hidan frees his arm and turns around with a smirk.

"You can stop pretending", he says, "she isn't looking anymore."

The pale boy is caught completely off guard when Kakuzu crashes him into the wall the next second, roughly holding him in place with his hand around his throat. Oh, how he wants to squeeze it shut.

"If she wasn't around, I would kill you", he growls, desperately trying not to press down too hard. Pein and Konan will be pissed if he hurts him shortly after treating his wounds.

A faint smile tugs at the corners of Hidan's mouth.

"You didn't get it, did you", he says, "I told you I can't fucking die."

"I don't believe that", Kakuzu snaps.

Yes, he knows that it is possible to lengthen one's life span, but immortality is something the banker considers complete and utter nonsense. Some shinobi might appear immortal to their enemies, but most of them have just a good defense and a higher-than-average amount of stamina, as far as he is concerned.

"You need proof?", Hidan asks, "Come on, try to choke me, and you'll see."

_Try_ to choke him? Does this kid think Kakuzu isn't capable of killing a pathetic little brat like him? His eyes are hazy, and the miser blinks. Is Hidan _enjoying_ this?

"C'mon, do it", the boy whispers and closes his eyes, but Kakuzu has seen the expression that has been flickering in them for a second. _Delight_.

The banker loosens his grip and lets go of his counterpart, frowning at him. What the hell made him be like that? Where does all that pride come from? Why isn't he afraid?

Hidan coughs once again, and again a few red drops start dribbling down from his mouth, although Kakuzu is sure he successfully treated all his inner injuries.

"Go take a shower already", he says, "before you ruin the floor of this room as well."

Hidan can't keep himself from asking another annoying question.

"You gonna watch?", he smirks, exposing his blood stained teeth to the miser.

"No", Kakuzu huffs, "I'll wait outside."

And with this he slams the door shut.

Konan was right. This boy _is_ different from all his former partners. Way more self-assured, bold, and cocky. Kakuzu hasn't been yelled at like that for years. Most people are rather scared by him. Even his allies don't dare to mess around with him. Usually he is calm, but he loses his temper very easily, and when he does, the urge of killing gets so strong he doesn't distinguish between friend and foe anymore.

The banker can hear that the water is turned on, and involuntarily he chuckles to himself. Yes, he has closed the wounds, but yet they will hurt like hell when getting in contact with the hot liquid.

He just hopes Hidan doesn't pass out in the shower. He really doesn't want to carry an unconscious, naked boy through the hall when all the others are around.

None of them is actually living here. It would be way too dangerous if all of them had their home at one and the same place. A lot of them have a bounty on their head, and there is no need to offer all of them to their enemies at the same time, if the lair should be discovered one day.

Pein and Konan share an apartment not far away from here, but the other members' residences are spread all over the country. Some of them, like Sasori, have their own hideout somewhere in the woods or near villages. Others, like Zetsu, travel around a lot. They just gather here from time to time when they have to talk about important missions and set up plans.

Or if a new member is to be recruited.

To Kakuzu's surprise, he doesn't hear one single cry of pain, and Hidan appears in the door frame a few minutes later without any blood on his body. He is topless, a towel loosely wrapped around his hips, and – damn, does he look good. Young, thin, fit, and the dark stitches across his deathly pale chest look just _perfect_.

His hair is wet and dripping, and appears almost silver in the gloomy light in here. Running one hand through it, Hidan gives the miser an unexpectedly awkward look.

"Where shall I go now?", he asks, sounding oddly shy.

Kakuzu growls. He has no idea where the boy could stay. There is only one bedroom in the lair. The one he himself intended to relax in after coming home today. It is a room most of the members use for recovering after their missions before actually going home.

The banker curses himself, and he curses Hidan, but even more he curses Pein and Konan and the others. Why the hell does he have to take care of that little brat? Why do they insist on him having a partner? Why can't he just go on missions alone, like he did all his life before he joined the Akatsuki?

Hidan rubs his eyes.

"Please, can you tell me where to go", he asks.

His voice is terribly whiny, and the usage of the word _please_ makes him sound pretty tame.

The miser sighs. Hidan must be tired to death. He is just a kid, a teen, as far as Kakuzu can tell, who lost a huge amount of blood and was close to dying half an hour ago. Now his body is shaking with cold and exhaustion, and he can barely stand upright. His eyes are teary, as if he was about to cry.

"You need to rest", Kakuzu says, surprised at his own words.

He tries to fight the thoughts that start to come to his mind, but fails – he is beginning to _worry_ about Hidan.

"And I need some new clothes", the silver haired says, pointing at the blood-stained pile he has dropped onto the bathroom floor.

The banker clenches his teeth. They don't have a stock of extra clothes hidden somewhere in the lair. He will have to give him some of his own. They are unlikely to fit, though. Hidan is so much shorter than him, and pretty skinny. But he can't run around naked either, so Kakuzu gives in once again.

He leads the boy to the room he himself intended to stay at for the night, and starts rummaging through the bag he has left there. He always leaves some clothes at the lair before he goes on a mission, because they often get shredded in battles. He is glad this wasn't the case today, otherwise he would need to ask one of the other members for help now.

The older shinobi can feel the boy staring at him, and it makes him angry again.

"Why don't you sit down, huh?", he huffs and points at the bed, and now Hidan really seems to be at the verge of tears.

"Don't fucking yell at me", he whines.

"I yell at you as much as I want", Kakuzu growls, "if you want to be my partner, you'd better get used to it."

He pulls some boxers and a shirt out of the bag, the only clothes he doesn't need himself, and turns around to Hidan, who has really sat down onto the bed.

"And stop swearing", he adds and throws the clothes at the boy.

The silver haired gives him a smirk.

"Fuck", he says.

Nothing else. Just _fuck_.

Kakuzu narrows his eyes, but before he can say anything, the cocky expression on Hidan's face has vanished. He looks all scared and shy again, obviously failing to play down his fear by acting cool now.

The miser sighs to himself. No wonder he is confused. Being carried to a creepy lair full of villains after nearly getting beaten to death on the battlefield must be somewhat frightening for a young guy like him.

His fingers feel around at his throat, and he starts shaking again.

"C… could you get me something to drink, Kuzu?", he asks softly.

The miser jerks. He hates nicknames. He never had one, and he never will.

"My name is _Ka_kuzu", he snaps, "and this is no hotel. Why don't you get something yourself?"

Hidan casts down his eyes.

"I dunno where", he whispers, his voice as shaky as his hands now.

The banker groans. Right. He is the new member. _New_. That means, also new to this place.

"Please", Hidan asks, "I need to get rid of that fucking blood in my mouth."

Kakuzu stares at the frail figure on his bed, not sure if he feels amusement or pity when the boy suddenly chokes again.

"Damn, this is sickening", he whines, "I feel like throwing up."

What a pain. The miser can hear himself growl once again. He needs to get rid of that boy. Quickly.

Deidara is clever enough to leave the room when Kakuzu rushes in, but Konan stays. Besides Pein, she is the only one who isn't afraid of him.

"Are you two becoming friends?", she asks, giving Kakuzu a happy smile.

The miser is raging with anger.

"No", he huffs.

On the contrary, the boy is driving him nuts. He makes him feel like a babysitter.

Why? Why the hell is he doing what Hidan asks for? Because he likes him? Kakuzu can't stand him. Because he is his new partner? Kakuzu doesn't need a partner. Because he is a helpless little kid? Kakuzu usually _kills_ helpless little kids.

"You should", Konan says, "since he's your new partner."

Oh shit, why does she have to repeat it over and over again?

"He's not", Kakuzu snaps, "I don't pair up with little brats."

"Don't call him that", Konan asks while the banker starts rummaging through the kitchen shelves, "he's an S rank shinobi."

"Sure."

Kakuzu has finally grabbed a bottle of water and spins around with furiously sparkling eyes.

"An immortal S rank shinobi, extremely skilled and experienced and the best partner I'll ever have."

"Exactly", Konan smiles, ignoring the sarcastic tone on purpose.

The miser only raises an eyebrow.

"He's younger than you", she continues, "but yet very skilled. Pein and I watched him on the battlefield, and saw some techniques that were even new to us. You'd be surprised."

"As hell I am."

Kakuzu is close to yelling. If it wasn't Konan standing in front of him, they would be in need of another new member now.

"Pairing up with him will make missions easier", she says, "your techniques complement each other, and so do your personalities. We didn't just pick him because he was the only one left on the battlefield, you know. Pein and I took a very close look at him first, and found him to be the best partner for you. He'll do you good."

Kakuzu snorts before he leaves the room.

"Sure. He's going to change my life."


	2. part 2

Hidan is lying on the bed with his eyes closed and doesn't even hear the door open. He looks as if he has slumped down, rather than laid down on purpose, and he has obviously fallen asleep due to exhaustion.

He has shuffled on the clothes Kakuzu has given to him, a pair of dark blue boxers and a black t-shirt, both way too big for him. One of his hands is resting on his hip, the other one beside his head, which has rolled to the side and is now facing the wall. He is still breathing with difficulty, his chest moving up and down hectically and his mouth half-opened in order to get enough oxygen into his tortured lungs.

He looks so frail, so vulnerable it makes Kakuzu chuckle. A kid, a helpless little kid.

The banker slams the bottle down onto the mattress and Hidan jumps. His eyes are opened wide with shock, and he needs a few seconds to realize where he is, but then catches sight of Kakuzu, and sits up quickly.

"Here you go", the miser huffs.

Still a little confused, the silver haired grabs the bottle he is holding towards him and opens it with shaky hands, then downs its content almost completely within seconds.

Jeez, he must have been really thirsty. For a second, Kakuzu feels sorry for having been so mean to him before, but then instantly curses himself for his thoughts. No way will he let that feeling grow inside of him, that feeling that he has to take care of the boy. He is still an annoying little brat.

"How about _thank you_?", Kakuzu snaps.

Hidan directs his eyes at him again, and for the first time the banker realizes that they are not only reddened, but really _red_. Like Deidara's are blue, and Sasori's gray. He is only a little surprised, though – he has seen so many odd eye colors in his life, that those crimson orbs don't impress him too much.

What surprises him more is their expression, shy thankfulness instead of the unbelievably arrogant and cocky glare the boy shot him in the beginning.

"Lost your manners on the battlefield, huh?", Kakuzu asks, surprised at how soft he sounds now.

"Never had any", the silver haired mumbles and tries to grin, but fails.

If only he didn't look that miserable. If only there wasn't this tiny bit of fear in his eyes. If only he wasn't that –

Hidan wraps his arms around his own legs and curls up into a ball to keep his small body from trembling, and it makes him look even more helpless.

Sympathy finally wins over anger, and the miser grabs some blankets which are lying on the floor beside the bed.

"Why don't you take those", he asks, "if you're cold."

The other male covers himself quickly but remains sitting. He is obviously ashamed to lie down again with Kakuzu watching, and it amuses the banker to no end. Would be very interesting to see how long he can last.

The miser sits down onto a stool with his eyes glued to the pale boy and stares at him.

"What?", Hidan asks, already feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

Kakuzu smirks.

"You're not good at hiding your chakra."

"I'm not trying to."

The pale figure rests his head onto his knees, struggling to keep his eyes open, and the banker chuckles.

"You're finished", he says, tickled pink by the sight.

"Oh, you think so?", Hidan huffs, and again Kakuzu wonders about how self-assured the boy still is.

"Yes, I think so", he says, slowly licking his lips before he continues, "I can read you like an open book."

Oh, how he loves to humiliate people.

"Judging from your age, appearance and fitness", he explains, "I can tell how much chakra usually flows through your system, and by checking how much is left, I can easily tell how bad you feel, even if you're not letting it show."

Hidan glares at him, but also looks a little confused. Kakuzu doesn't blame him – not many shinobi can sense what he senses, especially without knowing their counterpart.

"You want to know how much is left?", he grins, but doesn't even wait for the answer, "About two per cent."

Hidan snorts. He apparently doesn't believe him, and Kakuzu is not surprised. The young shinobi seems not to know his body too well, otherwise he wouldn't still be trying to play the brave one.

"That means", Kakuzu continues slowly, "that you feel really, really bad. Every fiber of your body is aching like mad, if not completely numb, and it feels as if your senses were slowly being turned off. I bet you can't even see clearly anymore."

Hidan frowns at him. So, he is obviously right.

"You feel like throwing up", the miser goes on, "but you shouldn't. You would choke if you did, because your muscles are way too weak to make you cough by now. In fact, all of your organs are giving up at the moment. You can hardly breathe, and it feels as if your heart was racing, but it's actually slowing down."

He licks his lips. Again. Oh yes, he is enjoying this.

"Of course, all this has to do with your injuries", he says, "but the main reason is the low chakra amount in your body. It's kind of your vital energy, you know."

Hidan snorts once again, a little softer this time. He most likely knew that before. If he didn't know about chakra, he wouldn't be a shinobi. However, it is fun to tell him all those things the very moment they occur to him.

"One per cent", Kakuzu suddenly smirks, "reads your chakra countdown clock now. You know what happens if it reaches zero?"

Hidan stares at him, but his eyes can't focus.

"You die."

The silver haired looks bored. This is obviously no news to him. Kakuzu nudges a little closer, eyeing the trembling frame under the blankets.

"But you told me you're immortal", he whispers, "and so I'm incredibly curious what will happen to you in a few minutes."

It is a pity that Hidan probably doesn't even hear his last words anymore. He is struggling like mad, but he can't keep his head up any longer.

Before he loses the last bit of control over his body, Kakuzu supports the small frame and pushes him down onto the mattress, for a second wondering why he is that gentle with him.

The boy is still awake, but already on the edge of unconsciousness. His eyes are dull, and the only body part that moves is his chest in desperate attempts to draw breath. He twitches slightly when Kakuzu touches him, but is too weak to fight.

The miser pulls the blankets over his pale body and brushes his hair out of his face, again cursing himself for what he is doing. He never wanted to comfort his little guy, but now he realizes that he is enjoying it.

Hidan's eyes are searching his, but Kakuzu turns around quickly before they can find them. If only he wasn't that –

"I'm leaving", Kakuzu growls.

He isn't even bothering to look at his allies when he rushes through the hall.

"Leaving?"

Konan's eyes are widened with shock when he sees the bag in the miser's left hand and the suitcase in his right.

"The _lair_," he snaps.

Of course he wouldn't just go and take Akatsuki's money with him if he wanted to leave the organization. He would kill the other members first.

The kunoichi heaves a sigh of relief, but she is still frowning.

"Going on a mission", Kakuzu says, "alone. The kid's dead anyway."

"Dead?"

Konan's eyes widen again.

"Just kidding", the miser snorts, "wanted to see your reaction. He's unconscious. You can mess around with that brat from now on."

He feels guilty, but he is too angry to realize why.

"But…," Konan says, but the other shinobi has already closed the door behind him.

Kakuzu has chosen a mission that is easy to accomplish, just some general bounty hunting, but he has to go to another country in order to do so. He will need about three days to get there, and three to get back. Almost a week if he decides to rest from time to time. A whole week on his own. Wonderful.

He walks for several hours, and when he reaches the woods at night, he has almost forgotten about Hidan. All he can think about is the mission – the village he has to head to, the person he is going to kill, and the money he is going to get when he delivers the body.

He doesn't go to sleep this night, he just keeps walking in silence. He doesn't need much sleep. He is able to stay awake for several days, if he doesn't lose too much chakra by fighting battles. Or treating his mates.

When he is at home, he only goes to bed because he doesn't have anything better to do, and mostly wakes up early the next morning. He likes it that way. It has been like that for years, and he is used to it.

However, even his endurance has its limits – fatigue hits him the next evening. He doesn't like spending nights in the open too much, but hotels are expensive, and so he seeks shelter in an abandoned cave. It looks like a bears' cave, judging from its size, and its inhabitants seem to have left not too long ago. The footprints on the ground give the expression that a fight has taken place here, and Kakuzu can sense death. The smell of blood is tickling his nose, and without warning the little silver haired guy pops up before his mind's eye again, smirking at him from below with sparkling red orbs and bloodstained teeth.

The miser is surprised that he doesn't feel any anger when he remembers Hidan. He still hates him, and can't stand the thought of being paired up with him soon. For a second, he thinks about not going back, but abandons the thought immediately. The others would hunt him, and it is out of the question that they would be able to defeat him if they ganged up on him.

The main reason, however, is that he actually doesn't _want_ to leave the organization. He enjoys the missions, he enjoys hunting bounties, and from time to time he even enjoys hanging around with the other members. Even though he will never admit it, he enjoys being part of the Akatsuki, and this silver haired kid won't make him leave it.

The next morning, Kakuzu crashes into the person he is looking for. Although the bounty on his head is high, the miser is a little angry when he carries the body to the bounty station, because now he has to head back earlier than he thought.

He tries to slow down, to stroll around a little before he makes his way home, but he just can't. Chatting with people at a teahouse isn't his cup of tea, neither is paying for a drink (although the tea is good), and so he starts heading home in the afternoon.

The picture of Hidan is stuck on his mind now, and it annoys him. He catches himself wondering if the boy is fine, and he is unsure if he liked it better if he was or if he was not.

He starts to ask himself if Konan might have been right, if Hidan is _really_ immortal. If this is the case, being paired up with him will maybe not be as bad as he thought – it could actually be fun.

He often hurt his former partners during a battle, but doing it _intentionally_ will be a completely different story. No matter how tough the boy is, he does definitely feel pain. Kakuzu remembers the screams he uttered when he treated him, and again, the thought amuses him to no end.

The miser reaches the lair two days later with a content grin on his face. He has made up his mind. He _will_ pair up with Hidan, and either scare him away within a few weeks, or enjoy himself by making him suffer whenever he can. Both possibilities sound good to him. Incredibly good.

Konan is sitting in the kitchen when Kakuzu comes in, and she is obviously happy to see him.

"Oh, you're back", she says, "any problems during the mission?"

"Not at all", the miser smiles.

As usual. He completes most of his missions without any difficulties.

"Glad to hear."

The blue haired kunoichi returns her eyes to the paperwork in front of her, and Kakuzu sits down next to her.

"How's the brat?"

He tries to sound as uninterested as possible, but he probably fails.

"On a mission with Sasori", Konan replies without looking up, and her counterpart frowns.

"Not Deidara", he huffs, "Hidan."

"Oh."

Konan turns pages.

"He's gone."

"Gone?"

Kakuzu can't help sounding surprised. Actually, this is what he wanted. He _hoped_ that Hidan would have disappeared up to now. But for some strange reason, he doesn't like it now.

Konan starts to giggle, and the miser realizes that he has been tricked.

"Just kidding", the kunoichi chuckles, "wanted to see your reaction."

Kakuzu growls with anger when he notices she is using the same words as him before, but at the same time another feeling is developing inside of him. Relief.

Konan finally looks up.

"Did you worry about him?", she asks with a smile.

"No", Kakuzu snaps.

"Well, _we_ did", the woman says sharply, but then lowers her voice.

"It wasn't nice to leave him like that", she frowns, "you could at least have given him some pain killers before you left."

"He was unconscious", Kakuzu replies, wondering why he is apologizing. Even if Hidan had been awake, he would have left him like that. He was cocky enough to tell him it didn't hurt, and so the miser loved to believe him.

Konan sighs.

"He was just asleep", she says, "and by the way, he still is."

Kakuzu pricks his ears.

"He's been sleeping all the time?"

If he isn't mistaken, it was five days ago when he left. Enough time to recover, even for a young guy like Hidan. Unless his injuries are more serious than Kakuzu thought, that is.

"Well, he came here several times to complain that he was hungry or thirsty, or to whine about a headache", Konan says and shoots the banker a glare, "but most of the time, he was asleep, yes."

Jeez. This kid was either just pretending to be tough when he treated him, or Konan is exaggerating things to make Kakuzu feel guilty. If so, she has succeeded.

"Where is he?", the miser asks with a sigh, well aware that he is giving in again. He just can't help it, he _is_ worrying about Hidan. For whatsoever reasons.

When Kakuzu opens the door to the bedroom, all his positive feelings towards Hidan vanish within seconds.

The room is a _mess_. Even though there are only a few things available at the lair, Hidan has managed to cover the entire floor with them. Empty bottles and cans are lying around everywhere, as well as leftovers of different kinds of food. The stool Kakuzu was sitting on some days ago has been pushed over and is lying in a puddle of – oh no.

Kakuzu growls. He bends down to the red liquid on the carpet, then heaves a sigh of relief. Yes, it is red, it is sticky, but it is _not_ blood. Thank God. He would have killed Hidan if he had stained the carpet again.

Only now the miser gets aware of the weak movements in the bed, and lifts his head. Obviously startled out of his sleep by the noise Kakuzu created when lifting the chair, Hidan rolls onto his side to face the other shinobi, slowly rubbing his eyes. Jeez, this kid sure looks confused when he wakes up.

"Hello."

Kakuzu stares at the younger guy, straight into his sleepy crimson orbs. Somehow it feels odd to be so close to him. He still smells of blood, although none is sticking to him anymore, and of something else the miser can't identify.

He doesn't know what to say, so he keeps watching Hidan, who is trying to sit up.

"Oh, it's you", he says when he recognizes Kakuzu, and for a moment it seems as if he is smiling, "where've you been?"

"On a mission."

"Where?"

Hidan is curious, but obviously not quite awake yet. He slurs the words, and his voice is somewhat hoarse.

"In the north."

"And what did you do?" the silver haired asks. He still hasn't managed to lift himself, and finally gives up on it.

"Caught someone."

Kakuzu doesn't say anything else, and Hidan lies back again.

"You're not used to talking, are you?" he yawns, and the miser sighs.

No, he isn't. Not at all. But for some reason, he tries to continue the conversation.

"And you?", he asks, "Had a good time at this lovely place?"

"Hmm, dunno", his counterpart sighs, "'twas kinda boring here, y'know. Nobody would talk to me, y'know."

"No wonder", the miser huffs.

Hidan's way of talking is already getting on his nerves, and if his voice is always that whiny, Kakuzu won't be able to listen to him for long. He supposes this was also the reason the others avoided to talk to the boy during his absence.

"You were asleep most of the time", the banker says.

Hidan just shrugs.

"Yeah, s'pose."

Kakuzu growls to himself once again. This is really annoying. If the boy is too tired to produce full sentences, he shouldn't try to talk.

Both of them remain silent for a while, until Hidan finds something else to say.

"Did you fight the guy?", he asks, and Kakuzu needs a few seconds to realize he is asking him about his mission again.

"Yes."

"Got hurt?"

"No."

The miser is amused by Hidan's curiosity. He can't blame him, he probably likes fights. Otherwise he wouldn't want to join the Akatsuki. If he came here voluntarily, that is.

"What about you?", he asks, and Hidan frowns.

"Your injuries", Kakuzu says, "where do they come from, huh?"

"Oh."

Hidan's fingers wander up his stomach, and involuntarily he twitches when they reach his chest.

"Messed with the wrong guys", he explains through clenched teeth, and his counterpart pricks his ears.

"Guy_s_?", he asks, surprised to hear that it was more than one, "How many?"

Young shinobi like Hidan usually fight one on one, or one on two if they are good.

"Too many", the silver haired slurs.

"Who?"

Hidan is struggling to keep up the conversation, but way too quickly his tiredness seems to overcome him once more. Before the miser gets an answer, the boy has fallen asleep again.

Kakuzu leaves the room with both a grin and a frown on his face. Hidan is still a helpless little kid, but there is something special about him. Something that _fascinates_ the banker. If only he could tell what.

He spends another night without sleep. He sits in the kitchen and plays cards with Sasori, who came back from his mission with Deidara just a few hours after him and doesn't need much sleep, either. The bomber joins them at first, but then decides to go home.

Kakuzu is glad it is only the two of them. He can't stand the blond brat very much, but he gets along well with the puppeteer, since they have a lot in common – they are more experienced in battle than the others, their bodies are hardly human anymore, and now both of them have a partner that is way younger than them.

The miser heads for the village near the lair early the next morning to get some things done, but returns at noon. Sasori is still there, repairing his puppets and waiting for Pein or Konan to report about his latest mission. He tells Kakuzu that no, he didn't see Hidan today and no, he didn't hear one single sound from him, either.

The banker checks the boy's room, just to find him still sound asleep. He starts to tidy up a little, but even though he isn't very quiet, Hidan doesn't wake up.

Konan arrives in the late afternoon, apologizing to an impatient Sasori that he had to wait so long, and they decide to go to the village to have dinner together. The kunoichi wants to ask their new member to come with them, but he is still dead to the world, and so they leave him behind.

In the evening, Konan checks Hidan's vital functions to see if he is unconscious, but he is not, just extremely exhausted and a little feverish.

She is worried about him, and although Kakuzu assures her that all this is just a reaction to the blood loss and nothing serious, she decides to stay at the lair in order to look after the boy for a while.

The miser is glad he isn't responsible for him anymore and heads out once more to do some paperwork that needs to be finished. He returns to the lair one day later to hand it in, and Konan already awaits him.

"Want to know a little more about your partner?", she asks when he enters the hall.

The miser just sits down opposite her. Now that he has accepted his fate to be paired up with the silver haired guy, he is getting curious about him.

"It's not much we know about him", Konan says, "but enough to consider him a worthy member. I know you don't believe he's immortal, but he is."

Kakuzu snorts, but she doesn't care.

"I saw him die back then", she continues, "more than once."

Kakuzu's eyes widen in disbelief.

"I swear", Konan says, "this guy was killed several times. Not only hurt, _killed_. You know I've seen enough people die to tell if someone's dead or not, and he was. He was taken down three or four times, but he always managed to get up again. It seems as if only the last attack affected him, the stab to the heart that caused this ugly wound on his chest. He lost his conscience then and stopped breathing, but as I already told you, he came back to life a few minutes later."

The miser still only stares.

"You're not kidding me?", he asks, and the blue haired woman shakes her head.

"No. Not kidding you."

"Jeez."

Slowly, very slowly Kakuzu starts to get interested. He still doesn't believe in immortality, but of course he does believe what Konan says.

Hidan must be capable of an incredibly powerful jutsu, and the banker is curious as hell to find out about it. He himself is hard to kill, too, but his way of lengthening his life is not perfect yet. He has always been searching for new techniques that prevent him from dying, and this boy obviously knows a very effective one.

For the first time he agrees with Konan – they _have_ chosen a very good partner for him.

"Whom was he fighting, anyway?", the miser asks, trying to play down his excitement.

"A clan from the rain village", Konan replies.

Kakuzu can't believe his ears.

"A whole clan?"

"Most of them weren't shinobi", the kunoichi explains, "and it wasn't a real clan, either. Just a community, about twenty or thirty people."

"Gosh, but that's still a lot for such a young guy."

"He probably isn't _that_ young, Kakuzu."

The miser snorts.

"Of course he is", he snarls, "he looks like… I don't know, seventeen?"

Konan gives him a faint smile.

"You look like thirty."

Okay, she's got a point there. If he is _really_ immortal, Hidan might indeed be older than he looks. Maybe even as old as Kakuzu – but that is hard to believe. To him, he is a kid.

"Why was he fighting so many people on his own?", he asks now, "And what kind of community was that?"

"We know that it was a confraternity of people that belong to a cult", Konan says, "a sect. But we don't know which one, and neither do we know why he was fighting them. Maybe he's part of another community, and this was some sort of religious war."

Kakuzu frowns. He doesn't doubt those assumptions, but he isn't too interested in stuff like that. He himself doesn't believe in anything, apart from money.

"What about his fighting style?", he asks quickly to change the subject.

"Well", Konan starts, "he attacks quite recklessly and with pretty much force, but he's a little slow. He seems to have a weakness for large weapons, and he uses blood techniques. I'd love to tell you more about them, but I have to admit we have no idea how they work."

This is interesting. _Really_ interesting. Pein and Konan are highly skilled ninja and have fought a lot of shinobi in their lives – Hidan must be using a very rare technique, if even _they_ haven't seen it before. Now Kakuzu is even more curious to get to know it.

Hidan is awake when the banker enters his room this time, but he doesn't look too good. His eyes are kind of glassy, and his face is flushed.

"Hey", he says when Kakuzu walks over to him, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

The miser watches the small frame struggle to sit up, and this time he succeeds.

"Why're you wearing that?", he asks and points at Kakuzu's mask, his eyes sparkling curiously.

The older shinobi hasn't expected this question, but yet he has a standard answer for it.

"Because I don't want people to see my face."

Hidan leans against the wall and pulls the blankets up to his shoulders.

"Why?", he smirks, "You ugly or something?"

Kakuzu feels the urge to smack him for that comment, but manages to hold back. Instead, he pushes his hand onto the pale forehead a little rougher than he intended, and to his amusement, Hidan jerks.

"Your fever is worse", the miser says with a bored expression, but also a little frown.

It isn't too serious, but this surprises him. He expects Hidan to get better, not worse. His wounds are healing and he isn't close to death anymore, but his body is still weak, and he seems to be a little dizzy, judging from his hazy eyes and the wide grin on his face. Kakuzu starts to wonder if Konan has given him some pain killers, but before he can ask him, the boy opens his mouth again.

"How much chakra's there now, huh?", he asks.

He is obviously able to control it better now. Kakuzu has to focus to sense it, and is surprised when he gets aware of the high amount of energy rushing through the boy's system.

"Much more", he says.

"_How_ much?", the silver haired repeats insistently, "How much per cent?"

The miser hesitates at first. He isn't too sure about it – maybe Hidan's usual amount of chakra is much higher than he thought at first.

"How mu-uch?", the boy asks impatiently, pushing Kakuzu's hand away from his head.

"About fifty per cent", the miser huffs, pretty sure that this is about right.

Hidan groans and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Only half of my usual amount?", he asks, "That means one more fucking week to go until I can fucking battle again?"

"You can _fucking battle_ anytime you want", the older shinobi speaks calmly, "but you're unlikely to win in your current state."

"You're a fucking smart-ass, aren't you?"

This time Kakuzu does not hold back, and his hand slaps hard across the pale face.

"You should watch your mouth", the miser huffs, "I can't stand if little brats talk to me like that."

The silver haired is silent now. His eyes are clenched shut, his hand holding his cheek, and a small stream of blood starts to run down from the corner of his mouth.

Kakuzu startles.

Shit, he hasn't intended to hit him that hard, but he couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry", he apologizes with an annoyed groan, "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Didn't hurt, anyway."

Hidan's voice sounds odd, not angry at all, but rather – _pleased_? Kakuzu remembers the smile on his face when he crashed him into the wall a few days ago, and realizes that what he sees now is exactly the same.

He frowns once again. This kid is either highly deranged, or desperate for attention. Or maybe both.

"You didn't answer my question", he says, slowly licking up the blood from his lips.

"If I'm a smart-ass?", Kakuzu growls.

Is this kid begging for another slap in the face?

The silver haired giggles.

"No, if you're ugly."

Yes, he _is_ begging for another slap in the face.

"That depends on how you define _ugly_," the miser huffs.

He detests talking about his appearance like nothing else, and he certainly isn't going to talk to that little brat about it.

Hidan blinks.

"Not handsome", he says.

Jeez, he obviously doesn't get it.

"Then it depends on how you define _handsome_," Kakuzu says, "people's opinions differ greatly about this, you know."

The silver haired gives him a puzzled look, and the banker sighs. God, this kid is hopefully a little smarter than he appears to him up to now. Kakuzu is known for his sharp senses and a sharp mind. He has hoped to be paired with someone equally intelligent, but the only sharp thing in Hidan's case seems to be his tongue.

"I am", he says now.

Oh shit, this brat really should learn to talk in full sentences.

"You are _what_?", Kakuzu asks, and the boy smiles.

"Handsome."

The older shinobi feels the urge to punch him again, but he can't. Yes, Hidan might be a cocky little brat who deserves a good hiding, but – he is right. He _is_ handsome. _Very_ handsome, to be honest.

Kakuzu feels himself blush under his mask, and he quickly turns his head to the side. He has never felt that ambiguous for one of his partners so far. Usually, there is only hate, quite simply. In Hidan's case, this hate is actually stronger than before – Kakuzu _detests_ this little brat, but there is also a strange attraction that keeps him interested in the boy, and he curses himself for it.

If only he wasn't that – what is the word, _cute_?


	3. part 3

Kakuzu leaves the lair again this evening, although Konan asks him to stay. He tells her that he needs some sleep, that he needs to be alone, and Konan understands. She knows the banker doesn't like too many people around him. He has been doing well on his own for many, many years, and having to deal with other people confuses him. Often so badly that he loses his temper and kills them. And if he isn't allow to kill them, he tries to get out of their way, like in Hidan's case.

He finally heads for his residence and stays there for several days, until Konan knocks at his door one evening. He is surprised to see her and feels a little stalked, but of course asks her to come in. She tells him that she has to leave for a mission, and if he can keep an eye on his partner in the meantime.

Kakuzu gets a little angry when he realizes that it is all about Hidan again, but at the same time he is curious to hear how he is.

"He's much better", Konan says, "we went to the village to get some clothes for him" – hopefully no expensive ones – "and he said he wants to start training as soon as Sasori has repaired his scythe."

"Scythe?"

"His weapon."

Kakuzu frowns. He didn't know that the boy had anything with him when he was brought to the lair.

"I also got to know some more facts about him", the kunoichi smiles, "that he really is part of a religious community, for example."

The miser stares at the blue haired woman, his eyes widened with shock.

"Oh jeez, a priest?"

Shit, this is no good. Monks drive him crazy with their wise sayings and their calm and peaceful attitude. He really doesn't want to be paired with one of those. But then again, Hidan appeared neither calm nor peaceful within the last few days, and he didn't say anything wise so far.

"No", Konan laughs, "just a follower."

Kakuzu heaves a sigh of relief. Thank God. Or whoever.

"He didn't tell me why he was fighting back then, though", the kunoichi sighs, "didn't want to talk about that."

The miser chuckles to himself. He wouldn't want to talk about a fight in which he got beaten that badly, either.

The blue haired woman takes a look at the watch, and quickly raises to her feet.

"Oh, I'd better go now", she smiles, "Pein is waiting for me. You look after Hidan?"

"Sure."

Konan gets aware of Kakuzu's bored expression and frowns at him.

"Seriously, please do it", she asks, "he doesn't enjoy being alone too much."

The miser sighs when he leaves his apartment a few hours later. He curses himself for having chosen a residence so close to the lair. He always thought it would be easier to manage Akatsuki's finances if he had quick access to their files, but now he wishes he would be living as far away as Deidara, who needs about two days to get here from his hideout.

The hall is empty when Kakuzu enters it, and there is complete silence. The banker checks the kitchen, just to find it empty as well. Hidan must have been there recently, though. It looks equally untidy as the other room when Kakuzu last saw it, juice spilled over one counter and the floor dirty. Jeez, this kid sure is messy.

Although he doesn't like to do other people's work, the miser starts to tidy up. He just can't stand the sight. Chaos makes him nervous. He loves to keep things in order. Apart from that, he doesn't want to see Hidan yet. He isn't sure he is ready for a conversation with him, now that he has become used to being alone again.

He keeps cleaning for almost an hour, then sits down and leafs through some files, but still Hidan doesn't appear. The miser is surprised that the boy doesn't hear him. The bedroom is next to the kitchen, and he isn't bothering to be very quiet. He wonders if Hidan is unconscious again, or if he has left the lair.

Kakuzu slams his hand onto the table angrily. Shit. Again he is worrying about the kid, and he can't understand why. He doesn't _care_ if Hidan is unconscious, and he doesn't _fucking care_ if he has left. And yet –

The silver haired has neither gone nor has he lost his conscience, he is just asleep, like so many times before. He looks much better, not as weak and helpless as before. He is slightly snoring, but the breath isn't rattling in his throat anymore. There is _way_ more chakra inside of him now, running through his system in straight and steady flows.

He is still sleeping like a log, though, and involuntarily the word _cute_ pops up in the banker's mind again when he watches him. Hidan is lying on his left with his face to the wall, hands loosely rested beside his head, his silver hair messy and falling into his face. The blankets have slid down from his small body, and the t-shirt Konan bought for him doesn't fit much better than Kakuzu's clothes. It has ridden up a little, exposing a few inches of his deathly pale back.

No matter how hard he tries, Kakuzu can't avert his eyes from the boy. The delicate white skin just catches his attention again and again, and for the first time he realizes that he isn't staring at a pathetic little brat, but at an extremely good-looking young man.

The banker sits down onto the side of the mattress, and is a little confused when Hidan doesn't react. He seems not to sense his presence at all, although he isn't even trying to suppress his own chakra. An S rank shinobi should be able to notice someone so close to him even in his sleep, but this guy obviously isn't.

Kakuzu chuckles to himself. It would be so easy to kill him. To punch him hard on the head and break his skull, or to stab his chest again and let him bleed to death, or to just wrap his fingers around his small throat and –

Slowly, very slowly the miser's hand reaches out for the boy and comes to rest on his hip, just at the small spot uncovered by the black shirt. Hidan twitches at the touch, but remains asleep.

Kakuzu is surprised at how hot the boy's skin is. He has expected it to be somewhat cool, perhaps due to its color, and way rougher than it actually is.

He pulls the cloth up a little more and rests his hand on Hidan's side now, right above his waistband. He is well aware that what he is doing right now is absolutely silly and pointless, but for once, he doesn't care.

It has been ages that he touched a body so soft and smooth, and now that he has started, he can't stop anymore.

With a tenderness that is new to himself he starts to draw small circles on the boy's back, traces the shape of his body, his muscles, his bones. Involuntarily his hand wanders under the shirt and up Hidan's spine, strokes gently across the soft skin that fascinates him so much.

When he reaches his shoulder, the silver haired twitches again and, still asleep, rolls onto his stomach, his own fingers tangled in his silver hair. Kakuzu startles at the movement and removes his hand, but puts it back again a moment later.

Only now he notices how tense the small body is, the muscles stiff and rigid, probably still sore. The miser starts to push down with a little more pressure to loosen them a bit, using both his hands now, which he inteded to wrap around the pale little throat a second ago. An aching back is no fun, even for a tough guy like him. Maybe this is the reason he didn't get up very often within the last few days.

Now that he has more contact with his skin, Kakuzu realizes that Hidan is still a little feverish, although his temperature is much lower than the last time he checked it. The banker bends down to see if his face is still flushed, and startles badly when he looks straight into two crimson orbs.

The silver haired doesn't move a muscle, he just stares.

"What're you doing there, huh?"

Kakuzu feels himself blush, and although his counterpart probably can't see it from below, he is glad his mask and hood are covering his face almost completely.

"I…"

Well, what _is_ he actually doing here?

"Giving you some chiropractic treatment", he says and quickly presses his hands down onto his partner's tailbone.

The crack is louder than expected, and Hidan groans with pain.

"Lie still", Kakuzu advises him, his fingers moving up his spine, and the silver haired jerks again when the miser pushes down hard a second time.

"Oh fuck, that hurt", he whines, his eyes clenched shut.

Kakuzu's hands keep moving across his back, searching for the next tension to release.

"But feels much better now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…"

After the third crack, the small frame relaxes under his touch, and instead of pushing his bones back into their right position, the miser's fingers wander under his shirt again, up to his ribs. He realizes that he is stroking him again, and quickly removes his hands.

Hidan nestles his head to the pillow, his eyes still closed.

"Keep doing that", he slurs sleepily, "feels good."

Kakuzu holds his breath for a second. Is he – asking him to go on?

Still not sure why, he brings his fingers back to the pale body. He slowly continues his massage, rubbing the younger one's back and stroking his soft skin with growing care.

When he reaches his neck, Hidan starts to shudder, and a silent sigh escapes his throat. His hands suddenly reach out behind his back and grab the black cloth Kakuzu's hands are moving under, and quickly he pulls the shirt over his head.

The banker is amused by the reaction. Found a sensitive spot, obviously. He continues to touch him right there, and the little silver haired heaves another sigh.

"Jashin-sama…"

Kakuzu frowns, and involuntarily his hands slow down.

"Jashin-sama?", he asks, "Who's that?"

"Doesn't matter now…"

Hidan buries his face to the pillow, and Kakuzu chuckles to himself. He is tickled pink by the intense reactions, by the jerks and sighs he gets by just caressing his counterpart's neck.

It's been a while that someone enjoyed being touched by him. Hidan is moaning into the pillow now, and it starts to turn him on.

He had so many partners in his life, male ones and female ones, young ones and others around his age, some he respected and some he detested, and every single one of them made him feel exactly like this.

It has nothing to do with love, or hate, or any other emotion he knows, it is just physical attraction that affects him. His body might be hardly human anymore, but still it reacts to the sight and touch of an attractive individual like Hidan in _most_ human ways.

It annoys him to no end, but he can't help it.

With his eyes still closed, the silver haired rolls onto his right side now, an irresistible invitation for Kakuzu to go on at the spots he hasn't touched yet. He moves to his other shoulder, slightly scratches his fingernails across the bare skin, and again his counterpart shudders with delight.

He is lying helplessly under his touch, and the miser keeps going, hands ghosting and feathering across his pale body until he has him squirming.

He flips himself over onto his back, and without thinking Kakuzu continues to stroke him. His fingers creep up and down his sides, across his stomach, his chest, over the black stitches he himself has left there, up to his delicate white throat, and Hidan lies still, apparently enjoying it.

After a while, Kakuzu's eyes involuntarily wander down to his waist, and he is surprised to see that Hidan is obviously even more excited than he himself.

The banker frowns, but the moment he starts to wonder if this is going too far, Hidan grabs his hand and pushes it down, twitching when it comes to rest on his crotch. Kakuzu can't suppress a smirk – this kid sure knows how to get what he wants.

He starts to rub his fingers across the black cloth and Hidan moans, unable to hide his excitement caused by that soft little touch. He lifts his hips and impatiently pulls down his pants, carelessly dropping them onto the floor.

Kakuzu holds his breath for a second. The silver haired lying on the bed is now completely nude, his hazy crimson orbs slowly fluttering open and giving him a pleading look from below. He starts squirming under the miser's gaze, and a red flush quickly starts to spread across his pale face, making him look even more embarassed than he already is. He turns his head to the side and awkwardly covers his eyes with his arm, and this very second Kakuzu knows what this is all about.

Hidan is a handsome young guy, but all his coolness, his cockiness, his rudeness scares people away from him. He has probably been alone for a long, long time, and now he is desperate for attention, his body just _begging_ to be looked at.

Even though he doesn't say a word, Kakuzu can hear his voice in his head, pleading to be noticed.

Please, look at me.

Please, say I'm not ugly.

Please, _please_, tell me that you like me.

The miser crawls onto the bed and bends down to the boy, slowly brushes some silver strands out of his face. Hidan frowns, obviously not used to being so close to someone, and Kakuzu grins. His hand wanders down to the other male's waist again, teasingly brushing against his bare skin.

"You haven't done this before, have you?", he asks slowly.

The silver haired removes his arm from his eyes with a jerk.

Crimson orbs stare into green ones with surprise, and slowly a smirk settles down on the flushed face. Hidan's voice sounds different when he starts to speak, low and husky and almost a whisper.

"How old do you think I am, huh?"

The question strikes Kakuzu with unexpected force, and instantly his fingers stop what they are doing.

"Eigh… eightteen?", he drawls, cursing himself for sounding that nervous.

He is actually pretty uncertain about Hidan's age. Right now, he appears incredibly young to him. This frail little frame, this unbelievably hot body with this delicate white skin, this cute little face with those ever cocky, but also a little naïve eyes – oh shit, is he doing this to a _minor_?

Hidan turns his head to the side and laughs softly.

"I'm twenty-four", he says, "and I've done this many, many times before."

The older shinobi frowns at the silver haired, not too sure if he is serious. He doesn't appear very experienced – but on the other hand, he is a very handsome young man and _definitely_ able to seduce other people very quickly, so he might be telling the truth.

"To men?", Kakuzu asks, but his question is unheard by his counterpart, who impatiently rubs himself against his body. Obviously he doesn't mind a male hand on his thigh, and so the banker starts moving it towards more sensitive areas again.

Hidan reaches out for the miser's mask, but is violently pushed down to the mattress.

"Don't", Kakuzu snarls.

He is not used to getting touched. Not at all.

The silver haired looks confused.

"I want a kiss", he says and starts another try, almost touching the cloth that covers the miser's face now. He is distracted by a sharp tug between his legs the next second, and throws his head back with a gasp.

His eyes are flickering with lust when he looks up again, and Kakuzu frowns. Is he so needy he doesn't even mind pain?

"Please, will you kiss me", he asks softly.

Now the banker feels almost sorry, but still can't suppress the anger that has seized him.

"I told you I don't want people to see my face", he huffs.

Hidan places his arm on his own face again, covering his eyes like he did before.

"I'm not looking", he whispers, "I just want a kiss."

The miser hates himself for it, but he can't help feeling totally charmed by this action. Oh God, how can this little guy be so persistent, but at the same time so incredibly _cute_?

He is panting, but lying still, and so Kakuzu quickly pulls down his mask and presses his own mouth onto Hidan's.

It isn't a real kiss, just a short touch of lips, but it seems to be enough. The silver haired smiles happily when the miser pulls back, and keeps his eyes closed until he has covered his face again.

"Romantic", he smirks, and Kakuzu smirks back.

He knows this isn't about romance, and his counterpart hopefully does as well. All this is just about physical attraction, about needs every human being has from time to time.

Hidan's seem to increase by the minute, as he starts to fidget under Kakuzu's hands. He bucks his hips up and impatiently thrusts into his hand, and the miser is too excited himself now to find this only amusing. He quickly grips the other male and continues to stroke him, considerably faster now, earning choking gasps and moans that almost drive him insane.

It has been so long that he was together with someone else that he can hardly remember what to do, but his body seems to remember very well. His hands stop fondling the silver haired and push his legs apart roughly, as if acting completely on their own. Kakuzu can't even tell when he has pulled down his own pants, he just realizes what he is doing when Hidan cries out in pain.

"Oh fuck!"

His eyes are clenched shut, his fingernails digging into the mattress beneath him, just as he did when Kakuzu treated his injuries a few days ago.

"Hurts", the miser asks tonelessly.

Funny, how scenes sometimes replay.

"Like hell!", Hidan whines between clenched teeth.

"Do you want me to stop?"

The miser is well aware that he can't, even if he wanted to, and to his relief his counterpart slowly shakes his head.

"But you could've fucking warned me at least."

He doesn't even look angry, rather – _amused_?

There it is again, this smug little smirk on his face that drives Kakuzu insane. As if he was _fucking_ with him.

With a gasp he starts to move, less carefully than he intended. Again he feels this strange urge to kill Hidan, to make him scream with pain and fear, but instead he has him moaning again after a few thrusts. The silver haired obviously likes it a little rough, and so Kakuzu picks up speed while his hand goes back to work between pale legs with utmost precision.

He is glad that the lair is empty. Hidan is vocal. He pants and moans with every thrust, he just can't keep quiet, even his own hands pressed onto his mouth don't help at all.

The pleasured groans escaping his throat turn Kakuzu on like mad, and finally he can't hold back any longer. One last deep thrust pushes him over the edge and he releases inside the younger male, involuntarily pushing down harder when he reaches his climax. He has to struggle to support his own weight once he is finished, but somehow he manages not to collapse on top of his partner.

The miser's hand slows down a little, partly because he wants to tease, partly because he is tired. Hidan isn't quite there yet, though, and he desperately snaps his hips forward when Kakuzu pulls out of him.

"D- don't stop!"

His voice is no longer a whisper, he is almost yelling now.

"More", he begs, "oh fuck, more… more… _more_…"

And Kakuzu gives him more, more gentle touches, more firm grips, more fevered strokes, and with a jerk he comes, arching his back and clamping his teeth hard into the soft flesh of his own hand which is again pressed onto his trembling red lips.

They remain lying next to each other for several minutes, panting and trying to catch their breath. It is Kakuzu who moves first after a while. He just can't help it, he still can't keep his hands off the delicate white body.

They have involuntarily changed sides, the banker now lying with his back to the wall behind the silver haired, his hand again rested on his hip.

"You haven't done _this_ before, have you?", he asks.

"Fuck no", Hidan snorts and rolls over onto his right, turning away from his partner.

The miser chuckles to himself. It was just too obvious. The way he moved, the way he reacted to his thrusts – this was definitely his first time with another guy.

"But you liked it", he drawls and slowly lets his finger slide up Hidan's side, making him shudder again.

"Fuck yeah."

The miser watches him try to untangle his silver hair, which is all messy and sticky with sweat. He realizes that he himself is sweating like a pig, too, and he curses himself once more for not having taken off his clothes.

He is still fully dressed and even wearing his hood and mask. The only things he dropped onto the floor when he entered the lair are his cloak and shoes.

He just can't stand being naked, and he can hardly imagine to get undressed in front of this attractive young man. He doesn't mind his own appearance, but he knows he isn't the best-looking guy, especially not in comparison to Hidan. The boy will see what is underneath his clothes soon enough in battle, if he is really going to pair up with him.

"Hey, Kakuzu?"

The miser moves a little closer to the silver haired and, not sure why, wraps his arm around him from behind. For some strange reason he wants to hold him, to be close for him for a little longer.

"What?", he asks and rests his head onto Hidan's shoulder.

"I lied to you."

Kakuzu frowns. He has no idea what the boy is talking about, and he isn't sure he wants to know at the moment, but his partner already tells him.

"I'm not twenty-four", he says, and the miser holds his breath, "I'm sixteen."

"You – what?", Kakuzu gasps, "Oh shit."

Closing his eyes is all he can do, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, a habit he developed over years to prevent himself from losing his temper. He stares at the pale back in front of him, completely unable to believe what is going on here.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. He has just fucked a minor. A teen. A kid. Or has he?

Yes, this must be a joke. Hidan doesn't look like sixteen. He looks like – twenty-four. Or does he?

Both of them keep quiet for what seems to be an eternity, until the silver haired starts trembling, and without thinking Kakuzu puts his arm around him again.

"Hmm, I like that", Hidan purrs.

"What?"

Making a complete fool of him?

"Being close to you", he yawns, "you stay for the night?"

He sounds all sleepy all of a sudden, while Kakuzu is fully awake.

"I hate being alone", he continues, snuggling up to the miser.

Oh, damn. Kakuzu just can't let go of him, now that he sounds all vulnerable again. He moves closer to Hidan, until his lips almost touch his ear.

"You're kidding me, right?", he asks, "About your age."

The silver haired turns his head and looks at the miser over his shoulder, giving him a faint smile. Oh shit, he _does_ look like sixteen. Or does he?

"How old are _you_, huh?", he asks with another yawn, obviously not aware of how angry his counterpart is.

"That doesn't matter", Kakuzu huffs, and Hidan's smile becomes a smirk.

He turns his head back and nestles it onto the pillow, then grabs the blankets that have fallen down onto the floor.

"See? Age doesn't matter."

The banker frowns at the strange guy in front of him. He is completely clueless. An annoying little brat – or rather a calculating, malicious shinobi, just like him? He can't tell. He absolutely can't.

"You're not really sixteen, are you?", he asks, but the silver haired only shrugs.

"Who knows."


	4. part 4a

Hidan is completely different at night. His sleep is not as deep as it is during the day, but extremely fitful. He is moving a lot, his body almost constantly jerking and twitching, his head thrashing back and forth on the pillow. He gets up once to go to the bathroom, and when he comes back, he is so sleepy he doesn't even realize that Kakuzu is still awake.

The miser hasn't closed his eyes one single time. He isn't tired at all, but nonetheless he remains lying in the bed right behind the silver haired and watches him.

After a while, he starts talking in his sleep, and Kakuzu can't help but chuckle to himself. Even at night this little guy seems to be unable to shut up. Whispered words are escaping his throat without interruption, but the banker doesn't understand a single one of them. Not because they are articulated too quietly or not clearly enough, but because he has never heard them before. He is pretty sure that they are no absurd babbling, though, but parts of a language. One he doesn't know. An ancient one, presumably.

First he is amused by Hidan's behavior, but soon he starts to wonder what is bugging him so much. He considers his injuries the reason first, but then quickly abandons this thought again. If it was pain that kept him from sleeping, he wouldn't be dead to the world during the days.

Even though the miser doesn't know what the boy is saying, he can tell that Hidan is having a dream. A very intense one, and obviously a very bad one.

He sounds scared, frightened, and there is this strange word, this word he has been repeating all the time, _khish_ – if only Kakuzu knew what it meant. It is dark in the room, but nonetheless he can see that Hidan's face is flushed, and his pale skin is sparkling with sweat. His hands are clutching the blankets tightly, as if he was trying to get hold of something, and his small body is trembling under the covers.

He looks so miserable that, after a short moment of hesitating, the miser can't hold back anymore. He just has to wake him up.

"Hidan…", he mumbles softly, but loud enough to be heard, and gently pokes the other male's side.

The silver haired doesn't react the slightest bit, neither to the call nor to the touch. He doesn't even twitch.

"Hidan", Kakuzu repeats, addressing him considerably louder now.

He puts his hand onto the boy's shoulder, but is startled badly the next second. Hidan seems to be burning up. His body is terribly hot and sweaty and awfully tense, way more than it was a few hours ago.

Suddenly his voice raises, his breath quickens, and soon his body is thrashing around on the bed wildly, as if trying to escape from an invisible enemy. A tortured moan escapes his lips, and quickly it has turned into a cry, a scream, his voice loud and cracking now.

Kakuzu isn't amused anymore, he is worried now. He roughly grabs his counterpart's shoulder and starts to shake him.

"Hey, Hidan", he huffs again, "wake up."

This time, the silver haired does react, and instantly starts flailing. Without hesitation this time, Kakuzu wraps his arms around the small frame and hugs him to his chest, as tightly as he can. He can't stand seeing him like that. He absolutely can't. Usually he likes to see people suffer, but now he can't bear the sight.

"Damn, Hidan, wake up already!", he says, almost yelling now.

He tightens his grip, and the moment he starts to think about smacking him, his partner wakes up. Once he has gotten aware of where he is, Hidan stops fighting, but he is still panting hard, his whole body convulsing with effort in the miser's arms.

"Shush," Kakuzu huffs, desperately trying to calm down the trembling figure.

Almost too late he realizes that Hidan is hyperventilating, and instinctively covers his mouth and nose with his hand, pressing down hard.

The silver haired struggles against the hand on his face, panicking at the sudden lack of oxygen, but it successfully keeps him from passing out. Slowly, very slowly, his desperate tries to draw breath get weaker, and Kakuzu removes his hand before the body in his arms starts to go limp. After a short moment, Hidan turns his head to him, giving him an anxious look.

"Nightmare?", the miser asks, and his counterpart weakly nods his head.

He looks tired, exhausted, and the fact that he isn't talking confuses Kakuzu. He doesn't know what to do with a silent Hidan. Not at all.

"You okay again?", he frowns, but he still doesn't get any reply. The boy clutches his shirt and snuggles up to him, resting his head against his chest with a sigh.

The banker can't help but hug him again. He doesn't know why. He just _has_ to. Involuntarily his hands start to stroke his back, and Hidan relaxes.

"Like that, huh?", Kakuzu asks, "Feels good?"

"Yeah", Hidan says. Finally.

The miser keeps stroking him, not even wondering why anymore. He feels the urge to comfort the little guy in his arms, to protect him.

The thought he always tried to fight has settled down on his mind in the end. He can't deny it anymore. It feels good to hold someone. It feels good to touch someone. It feels good to be so close to someone.

Oh shit, it feels good to be so close to _him_.

Kakuzu can't avert his gaze from the little silver haired, whose eyes are already closed again. He knows he hated the boy a few days ago, and he will hate him again tomorrow, but for some strange reason, he can't hate him now.

"Hey, Hidan?", he asks, his voice soft for once, and he gently brushes the silver strands out of the pale face.

One night. Only one night. Only for one night he will admit himself to feel like this.

"Hmm?", the other male drawls, "What?"

"What does _khish_ mean?"

Hidan starts to rub his eyes, his face still buried to the miser's chest.

"Whaaat?", he yawns.

He sounds as if he was drunk, and it amuses Kakuzu to no end. He will never understand why people are like that when sleepy. Never.

"_Khish_", he repeats, "you said that in your sleep. What does it mean?"

The silver haired hesitates for a second, then continues to rub his eyes.

"Oh", he slurs tonelessly, "nothing."

"Come on", the miser growls, "tell me."

Kakuzu is curious about this, he really is. He has never heard that word before, and he wants to know what it means. _Now_. He hates not knowing things.

The other male lifts his head, his crimson orbs sparkling angrily.

"I _did_ tell you", he whines, "it means _nothing_."

"Oh."

Hidan rolls onto his other side, facing away from his partner. He starts trembling again, and Kakuzu can't help but put his hands around his body once more. It is sympathy, mixed with a slight bit of sadistic pleasure that keeps him going.

"What was that dream about?", he asks, slowly moving closer to the pale boy.

"Nightmare", Hidan snaps.

The miser frowns, for a short moment startled by his counterpart's sharp tone.

"Nightmare", the silver haired then repeats more quietly, "not dream. A fucking nightmare."

For a moment, it seems as if he was sobbing, and Kakuzu can't help but grab his chin and tilt his head to the side, forcing him to face him.

"What?", Hidan asks, his voice all whiny again.

To the miser's surprise, no single tear is visible in his crimson orbs. On the contrary, they still look somewhat angry. Hidan can hardly keep them open, though – this dream must have really exhausted him.

Once again, Kakuzu is fascinated by the boy. He is definitely one of the toughest guys he has ever seen.

"You never cry, do you?", he asks.

"No", the silver haired says, "never."

For the rest of the night, Hidan stays sound asleep, and neither talks nor screams one single time. Kakuzu falls asleep for a few hours himself, and when he wakes up, the boy's head is rested against his chest again.

He is snoring quietly, and a faint smile has appeared on his face, making him look all peaceful and happy in his sleep.

How cute.

Without thinking, the miser pulls down his mask and plants a little kiss on Hidan's forehead, just to pull back again a second later.

He still doesn't have a clue what is going on here. A few days ago he wanted to kill that guy, to shatter him to bits, but now the only thing he can think about is how to make him feel better. He tries to persuade himself that all this is just because he wants a strong team partner, a partner who supports him in battle, but of course he knows he is fooling himself.

Team partners don't sleep with each other. They usually don't even spend nights with each other. Well, Pein and Konan do, but they are a couple. All the others just pair up with their partners to go on missions, and after finishing them they go separate ways again.

Slowly the miser sits up and puts on his mask.

Only one night. That's what he told himself. Well, that night is over.

It isn't easy to get out of the bed, since he has to crawl over Hidan in order to do so, but finally he succeeds. After he has straightened himself, he notices that the small frame in the bed is trembling again. The blankets have fallen down onto the floor due to his movement, and although he is still asleep, the boy rolls onto his back with a frown, letting out a small sigh.

Jeez, is this kid always cold?

With a groan Kakuzu picks up the covers and places them on the pale body, quickly pulling them up to Hidan's shoulders. He curses himself when he notices that this is the little detail he'd better not done – Hidan twitches at the touch and wakes up. Yawning and smiling and slowly stretching his limbs he turns his head to face the other male.

"Hey", he says with a smile, "you up already?"

Kakuzu feels paralyzed, unable to move under the crimson gaze, but at least he is still able to produce some snappy answers.

"Looks like it."

"Yeah", the silver haired says, "you gonna get breakfast for us, right?"

"Yes."

Hidan snuggles down in the blanket and closes his eyes again, smiling even more.

"Fine", he mumbles, "I like sweet stuff in the morning, so make sure you get some dango or something."

Usually Kakuzu would get angry about being given orders by the boy, but now he doesn't care. He doesn't even bother to give a proper reply. It doesn't matter anymore.

"Sure", he just says, and off he goes.

Only when he opens the door to his apartment, he is struck by his guilty conscience. Of course he has _not_ gone to get breakfast. He has left the lair in order to go home, and he doesn't intend to return.

He is sure that Hidan fell asleep again after he left the lair, and he wonders what will happen when he wakes up and finds out that Kakuzu is gone. Will he be confused? Angry? Or even – sad?

He can still see Hidan's hands reach out for his mask in front of his mind's eye, can hear his moans, can feel his hot body rub against his. He remembers every move he made, every sound he made, every word he said while he made love to him.

Wait – _love_?

Kakuzu almost bursts out laughing at his own thoughts. He hasn't used this word in a while, and he wonders why it comes to his mind now.

The only emotion he is familiar with is hate. It is what keeps him going, what makes him accomplish his missions without feeling the slightest bit bad, what makes him enjoy killing. Hate has been inside of him all his life.

Oh, he has tried to get rid of it, of course he has. Many, _many_ times. Especially as a child. He _tried_ to love, he _tried_ to like other people, he _tried_ to trust them back then, but every time he did, he was deceived.

He lost his parents at a very young age, and after their death, there was no one to take care of him. He never got an embrace from anyone, never got a hug, and after a while, he didn't even want one anymore. Since then, he never wanted to hold anyone in his own arms, either.

The only thing that always felt good in his hands was money. Money doesn't talk, but yet it tells people what to do. Money doesn't fight, but yet it decides wars. Money doesn't breathe, but yet it outlasts ages. Money, after all, is the only thing real to him.

A squeaking noise suddenly startles the miser out of his thoughts, and with a jerk he lifts his head. His hearts almost skip some beats when he notices he has forgotten to close the front door, and quickly he jumps to his feet to shut it.

Jeez, this kid keeps distracting him although he isn't even here.

What is going on with him? Again he has run away. From Hidan? No. Rather from himself. For God's sake, he is an S-rank shinobi, he can't allow himself to feel like this. Emotions other than hate only lead to weakness. That is what he experienced all his life.

Kakuzu is angry that he can't stop thinking, and so he goes to bed early. But even when he lies down, pictures come to his mind instantly – Hidan snuggling up to him, Hidan twitching, Hidan talking in his sleep. _Khish_. The miser still hasn't forgotten that one._ Nothing_.

The next morning, he looks after the word in a few of his books. He wants to know which language it belongs to. Where it comes from. Where Hidan comes from. Konan said he was battling a clan from the rain village, but Kakuzu doesn't know if the battle took actually place there, and even if it did, it doesn't automatically mean the boy is from there.

Unfortunately the banker can't find a single hint on the strange language Hidan has been talking in, and so he dedicates himself to his bills and calculations once more. As usual, it distracts him very quickly, and after a while, he manages to stop thinking about his partner.

In fact, he stops thinking about him for more several days, until one morning his door is almost kicked in by an unexpectedly angry Konan.

"What the hell?!", she yells, and Kakuzu can tell both from her tone and choice of words that she is really, _really_ pissed.

"Didn't I ask you to take care of Hidan?", she asks.

"Yes", the miser says, for some reason sounding oddly calm, in contrast to Konan.

"And didn't you say yes?", she asks now.

"I did."

"Why are you sitting here and doing some paperwork while he is destroying the lair, then?"

Kakuzu pricks his ears.

"Destroying the lair?", he asks with surprise, but then smirks at the blue haired woman, "Kidding me again, right?"

"No, not at all", Konan huffs. She sits down onto a chair and takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. It happens very rarely that she gets that upset. Usually, she is calm and friendly, if a little mean from time to time.

"Pein and I came back from the mission today in the early morning", she continues, "and the lair looked as if a fight had taken place there. We were afraid you two had been attacked or were gone because someone had found our hideout, but then we found that Hidan was still there. On his _own_."

"I thought he would be fine", Kakuzu shrugs, not even trying to sound apologetic.

"Well, he is _not_", Konan says, "I don't have the faintest idea why, but he seems to have gone completely wild during our absence. He crashed almost every piece of furniture, broke several windows, and even daubed some walls. At least we think it was him, or was it you?"

"No", the banker says quickly.

He doesn't break things on purpose. Except people's bones from time to time.

They keep quiet for several minutes, both of them thinking about what to say, and then their argument gets even worse.

"Why did he do that?", Konan asks.

"I don't know", Kakuzu says, "since I wasn't there."

"Well, you should have been", the kunoichi yells, "and you should be there now! I want you to go back."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will. Now. I don't want Hidan to be at the lair on his own, so you either stay there and keep an eye on him, or you take him with you."

The miser raises an eyebrow.

"Take him with me?", he asks, "Where to – my apartment?"

"That, Kakuzu", Konan huffs, "is completely up to you."

Kakuzu can't suppress a laugh now, and it makes his counterpart even angrier.

"You'd better stop laughing, my dear", the kunoichi hisses, "I'm deadly serious. It's _your _job to take care of him, since _you_ are the one responsible for your partner."

To that, he miser just groans.

Responsible. He isn't responsible for anyone, except himself. He doesn't want to take care of others, and he certainly doesn't want to take anyone home with him.

"And apart from that", Konan finishes her rant, her voice much calmer and friendlier now, "he seems to like you, Kakuzu. Really like you."


	5. part 4b

Hoping that this is the last time he has to do this, the miser reaches the lair a few hours later. He is sick of this, he really is. Maybe it is indeed a good idea to take the little brat with him, so he won't have to shuttle between the Akatsuki's hideout and his own residence all the time.

He is surprised to see the kitchen almost empty when he enters it. All counters except one are gone, the table and the chairs are missing, and as Konan said, one of the windows is broken. What strikes Kakuzu most, though, is the huge painting on the wall. It is a symbol he has never seen before, an upside-down triangle in the middle of a circle. The paint it has been drawn with is thick, red and dripping, almost looking like – blood?

"The fuck?"

Hidan is standing in the doorframe, yawning and rubbing his eyes, still looking sleepy. Jeez, does this brat ever do anything else but sleep?

"Oh, it's you again", he says coolly when he catches sight of Kakuzu, "for a moment I thought you were gone."

"I was", the miser says and blinks. Something is different.

"Took you quite long to get breakfast," the silver haired smirks and raises an eyebrow, "at least got some candy?"

Kakuzu blinks again. _Hidan_ is different. Not cute anymore. Not at all. Rather cold, aloof, and way more arrogant than before.

"No", the banker huffs, "I'm not your servant. Go get something yourself if you're hungry."

His voice isn't as angry as he expected it to be, and he knows very well why. He is – no, not afraid, just a little _surprised_ by the other male. A strong negative aura is surrounding him, one Kakuzu hasn't noticed before. Red, if it was a color. Metallic, if it was a smell. A sort of chakra he doesn't know?

Hidan shoots him an angry glare.

"No need to fucking yell at me that early in the morning", he snaps, and although the miser is still wondering, he can't help but chuckle.

"Morning?", he asks. It is almost one o'clock.

With a snort the silver haired walks over to the single kitchen counter, quickly rummages through it, and then comes back with a handful of dango.

Kakuzu's jaw literally drops at the sight.

"Where the hell did you get that?", he asks, unable to believe his eyes. He is sure there was no food at the lair last time he came here, but he can hardly imagine Hidan going to one of the village shops to get some.

"The woman with the blue hair…", he starts to mumble a reply, while quickly stuffing the food into his mouth.

"Her name is Konan", Kakuzu snaps.

"Yeah, whatever. She gave it to me."

Of course. Konan always cares about others, unlike him. Is that what Hidan is trying to tell him?

The way the boy eats is similar to the way he talks – fast, and without interruption.

"You should stop gorging like that", the banker huffs.

"Shut up."

"That's unhealthy."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Hidan spins around and leaves the room as quickly as he has entered it, leaving behind a pretty confused Kakuzu.

What the hell has happened to that guy? When he last saw him, he was a peaceful little kid, cuddled up in some warm blankets on the bed and smiling at him, but now he looks like a grown-up shinobi, strong and powerful and even a little dangerous.

Once again, Kakuzu curses himself. He doesn't want to talk to him, but he is just too curious. Hidan is a complete mystery to him, and he hates not knowing things. After a short moment of hesitating, he follows the silver haired, who has disappeared in the room that has kind of become his up to now.

The door is open, but yet the miser doesn't enter. He just stares.

The wall is daubed with the same symbol as in the kitchen, and the room is full of trash. Pieces of wood are lying around, the floor is covered with broken glass, and the chair Kakuzu was sitting on not too long ago has disappeared. The only thing that is still intact is the bed.

Hidan is half-lying, half-sitting on it with his back against the wall. His eyes are opened wide, but nonetheless he seems not to take notice of the other shinobi standing in the doorframe. He is staring into nothing, and a strange smile has settled down on his face, almost making him look as if he was on drugs.

He is topless, and only now Kakuzu notices that he is touching himself. One of his hands has wandered up to his chest and is fumbling around at his injury, absent-mindedly pulling at the black threads that have pierced his white skin.

The miser can't help staring. The dark stitches look beautiful on Hidan's pale body, if in a very creepy way. This wound is a major injury, and even if it is healing, poking around there must hurt like hell. But Hidan seems not to mind. On the contrary, he looks rather – pleased.

Kakuzu slowly licks his lips.

"Enjoying yourself?", he asks, still unable to avert his eyes from the other guy.

As if moving in slow motion, Hidan lifts his head. It looks as if his eyes needed a few seconds to focus, and then the smile on his face turns into a wide grin. He obviously enjoys being watched. His fingers continue to fumble around at his injury with even more force now, and still he doesn't seem to be in pain at all.

"What an ugly, ugly wound", the banker drawls, "you will open it again if you don't stop."

To this, Hidan just smirks. He looks strange, so strange – as if he _really_ was enjoying himself. Something red is sparkling between his fingers, and Kakuzu clicks his tongue with an amused grin.

"Tz, tz – see? You already have."

Very slowly again, the other male removes his hand from his chest, eyeing his stained fingers with interest.

"Mhh", he mumbles, "blood."

"Yes, blood", Kakuzu says, "that's what you get."

There is a strange silence between them, a silence that feels like the calm before a storm, and the miser has this feeling that one of them is close to exploding. If only he knew who.

Hidan suddenly moves his hand towards his mouth and licks off some of the red liquid, grinning even more. He lets his fingers slide down, slowly smearing the rest of the blood across his chin and throat, before his hand comes to rest on his chest again. For a second, only for a split second Kakuzu is disgusted with the boy, but he can't help watching.

Hidan looks up at him with expectant eyes, and for a moment Kakuzu wonders if he wants to be praised for what he has done.

"You high or something?", the miser asks.

Yes, he likes blood, but this is _sick_. Maybe Konan has given the boy some pain killers that were a little too strong for him, and this is some odd side effect.

Hidan cocks his head to the side.

"Maybe I'm high, maybe I'm low", he starts to drawl in a singsong voice, "or maybe I'm just plain deranged."

"Maybe", Kakuzu repeats, unable to come up with anything else.

"Yeah… maybe…"

The crimson eyes go dull, but the grin is still on Hidan's face, making him appear like a real psycho now.

The miser would love to avert his eyes from boy, but he is so surprised about him that he can't help staring. Hidan looks good with the blood all over him. Attractive. Sexy.

Kakuzu tries to distract himself, tries to find something else to stare at, and suddenly he succeeds.

"What's this shit on the wall?", he asks quickly, "What symbol is this?"

Hidan turns his head to the wall, as if he couldn't remember what he has drawn there, and keeps his eyes glued to it for a moment.

"Jashin's symbol", he says then, still slowly, and still with this strange melodic undertone in his voice.

Kakuzu blinks. He has heard this name before.

"Jashin?", he asks, "Who's this?"

"The one who made me immortal", Hidan says, and the banker pricks his ears.

"Your sensei?", he asks curiously.

This could be interesting. If the shinobi who invented this technique is still alive, Kakuzu could go search him instead of waiting for this deranged kid to show it to him.

"My sensei?", the silver haired laughs out loud, "Well, even more than that."

His eyes start to sparkle when he turns his head back to his counterpart, and his smile looks way more sincere now.

"Jashin is my lord."

Lord? Oh yes, now the miser remembers what Konan told him.

"You're part of a religious community, right?", he asks, but Hidan just shrugs.

"Yeah", he says, "community, sect, cult, whatever you wanna call it. I'm used to insults."

"Insults?", Kakuzu frowns. He hasn't said anything insulting to the boy. Not yet.

But nonetheless, there is the explosion he has been waiting for. All of a sudden, an angry expression appears on Hidan's face, and his eyes start to glare at the other shinobi.

"Stop pretending", he huffs, "I know what's on your mind. You think I'm a psycho. You think I'm fucking insane. You hate me. You fucking hate me just because I believe in something else than you."

Kakuzu heaves a sigh.

"Okay, listen, Hidan", he says, "I'm not interested in this shit. I don't believe in anything, and I don't care what you believe in. But since it looks as if we had to spend some time with each other from now on, you'd better explain some things about yourself."

Hidan stares at him.

"Explain?", he asks bluntly.

Kakuzu sighs yet again, and before he can think about it, he has sat down onto the bed next to Hidan.

"Yes", he says, "I don't know much about you, and that pisses me off."

The silver haired grins.

"Curious, eh?", he asks, "Fine. What do you wanna know?"

"A lot of things."

The miser moves closer to the boy, his green eyes glaring at him. He feels anger build up inside him, and again there is this strange feeling, this voice in his head that tells him to hurt Hidan. He puts his hand onto his chest and starts to play around with the black threads, like he himself did a few minutes ago.

"What I want to know most", Kakuzu then continues slowly, "is why the hell you destroyed everything in here when I was gone."

The silver haired twitches at the touch, but he doesn't seem to be frightened at all. He only laughs softly and shrugs again.

"Dunno."

Kakuzu tightens his grip and pushes against the small frame, almost crashes him into the wall which he is leaning against.

"The things you crashed were expensive, you know", he growls, "and I don't appreciate buying new ones without knowing why, so you'd better come up with a good reason."

"I dunno", Hidan repeats, "just felt like it."

He tries to push the older shinobi away from him, but Kakuzu presses his fingers down onto his chest with more pressure, right into his slightly bleeding wound.

"Don't fuck with me", he hisses.

The crimson eyes start flickering, and the miser grins to himself. Hurting other people feels so good. He digs his fingers hard into the already injured flesh and pulls at the threads violently, and finally he gets the reaction he wants.

"Oww", a tortured moan escapes Hidan's throat, a very welcome proof that he _does_ feel pain.

"Now?", Kakuzu asks, "Answer me, Hidan. Why did you destroy the lair?"

The silver haired hisses through clenched teeth, tries to control himself, but finally he gives in.

"Cause I was angry", he spits his answer at the miser, "cause you fucking left me!"

Kakuzu is startled so badly by the answer that he lets go of the boy immediately. Hidan sits up and coughs, pressing his hand onto his wound, which the banker has obviously managed to open again. Blood is pouring down from his chest, but it is just a small stream of red that runs down the pale skin.

"You asshole", he whines, but for once, the miser doesn't care.

"You messed up the lair", he asks unbelievingly, "because I left you?"

Hidan looks up, and the angry frown on his face slowly starts to disappear.

"Yeah", he mumbles, "I fucking hate being alone."

Ah. Okay. He just hates being alone. Kakuzu heaves a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought – oh well.

"You'll have to pay for all that stuff", he says, trying to distract himself once again from his weird thoughts.

The silver haired gives him a surprised look.

"Pay for it?", he asks, "What with?"

Kakuzu snorts. What a stupid question.

"Money", he huffs.

"I don't have any."

"You don't?"

The miser growls to himself. He can't believe this. He just can't. Not only has this kid destroyed everything in here, now _he_ is the one to pay for it.

Hidan shakes his head.

"I don't have anything", he says, "apart from this."

Kakuzu's senses tell him to jump to his feet when the boy suddenly reaches behind him, but although he has reacted pretty fast, three sharp metal blades are directed at his throat a second later. Oh shit, he hasn't expected this thing to be that huge.

"Haha, gotcha", Hidan snickers, smiling maliciously at the older shinobi.

His weapon is almost as big as him. A scythe, deep red, and obviously pretty heavy. His pale hand grasping it is slightly shaking due to the odd angle he is holding it at, and Kakuzu can't help but chuckle to himself. Without much effort he has gripped the weapon himself, and before the silver haired can react, the blades are directed at his own throat.

Crimson eyes are opened wide with shock, but the miser only smirks.

"Gotcha", he parrots.

He slowly pushes the weapon forward, until one sharp tip makes slight contact with Hidan's skin. He secretly hopes that the boy twitches and cuts himself, but sadly, he does not.

"Damn, you're fast", he just says.

"Oh well, I'd rather say you're pretty slow", Kakuzu huffs.

With a small growl of disappointment he removes the scythe from the other's throat.

"Don't try that again", he says, "next time you do, I'll cut your head off."

To his surprise, Hidan only smirks.

"Well?", he asks, "Done with showing off now?"

Kakuzu has to force himself in order not to push the scythe forward again. What the hell is wrong with this brat? Anyone else would choose his words very carefully in a situation like this, but Hidan only gives him only a bored look while provoking him, staring at him from below with those ever cocky crimson eyes.

"So", Kakuzu says angrily, "being left alone freaks you out, huh?"

His plan to hit a soft spot obviously works. Hidan begins to shift on the bed, and quickly casts his eyes down before they start flickering.

"Yeah", he says, "not used to it."

The miser sighs. The silver haired looks so miserable again all of a sudden that he just can't help feeling pity for him. A kid. Just a kid. He hands the weapon back to him, and as expected, Hidan doesn't direct it at him again but puts it down onto the floor.

"Anything else you wanna know?", he asks quickly, obviously trying to change the topic. Very well then.

"Yes", Kakuzu replies, "as I said, a lot of things. Where you come from, for example. Why you're a missing nin, if you are one. And why Pein and Konan consider you a worthy member for our organization."

"Ah, well", Hidan smiles, "that's some easy ones. First: from a village far away from here. Second: because I've killed a lot of people. And third: because I'm the most talented shinobi they've ever seen."

That is what he says. Just so.

Kakuzu tries to detect some irony, some sarcastic undertone in Hidan's last sentence, but there is none.

"The most talented shinobi they've ever seen", he repeats tonelessly.

"Yeah."

There is no doubt about it – the boy is absolutely positive about this. What a cocky little brat. Sort of telling him, an age old, experienced S-rank shinobi, that he is more talented than him? This is ridiculous.

"What the hell has Konan given to you, huh?", Kakuzu asks calmly, "Something that made you get too big for your boots, it seems."

"They fit quite well, thank you", Hidan purrs, and the miser starts to regret having given back the scythe to him.

"You didn't seem too talented to me a minute ago", he huffs, "you couldn't even hold your own weapon."

To this, Hidan just snorts.

"It's not supposed to be held", he explains lazily, "it's supposed to be thrown, you know."

"Is that so", Kakuzu says, tonelessly again.

"Uh-huh. Jealous?"

"Jealous?", the miser almost bursts out laughing, "Of _you_? Oh, come on."

The silver haired smirks at him once again.

"Stop pretending", he says, "I know you are."

Kakuzu raises an eyebrow.

"Why the hell should I be jealous of an annoying little brat like you?"

"Oh well", Hidan replies with a small yawn, "maybe because I'm a high-skilled shinobi, because I'm powerful and intelligent and handsome and sexy and fit."

The banker's eyes widen in disbelief.

"You're none of these", he growls.

"Yes, I am", Hidan says, "I'm a lot cooler than you. I'm young, but you're old. I'm handsome, but you're so ugly that you've gotta hide under a mask and hood. I'm a high-skilled shinobi, but you're just aver…"

Kakuzu raises his arm so quickly that even he himself is surprised by the movement, and before he can control himself he has slapped the other male so hard across the face that he cries out in pain.

"Oh shit", the miser hisses when he realizes what he has done, "but you really asked for it this time."

Although his cheek already starts to bruise, the silver haired looks amused.

"Oh well", he chuckles, "no need to apologize. The truth is hard to take, especially for an old fart like you."

The second slap he gets is even harder than the first one. Way harder. Kakuzu has involuntarily hardened his hand, like he usually only does in battle, and therefore, he has almost knocked Hidan out. With a choking moan the silver haired loses his balance and slumps down to the bed, his eyes clenched shut in pain.

"You really need to learn how to hold your tongue", the banker growls, "if you don't, I'll cut it off, I swear."

To his surprise, Hidan looks somewhat happy when he looks at him again.

"Hey, Kakuzu?", he asks quietly, "You know what? You're different."

"Different?", Kakuzu asks, "From what?"

"From all the other people I know", his counterpart explains, "although I'm much younger than you, you didn't hold back."

"You insulted me", the miser huffs, "and I don't give a damn about your age."

Hidan gives him a weak smile.

"See? That's why you're different. Because you don't give a damn. You don't give a damn about my age, you don't give a damn about what I believe in, and you don't give a damn about who I am."

His voice starts shaking, and with a surprised look Kakuzu watches him move his arm across his eyes. Wiping away tears?

"All you do is yell at me", he continues, "no matter what I say, you just yell or shout or huff at me."

"Yes", the miser says, "that's pretty much it."

He doesn't know why exactly he does this. Usually he is quite calm. Even if he gets angry, he doesn't feel the urge to yell at others. But in Hidan's case, it is different. The boy just annoys him to no end.

"And when I get on your nerves", he goes on, "you…"

He stops and snuffles, and the miser curiously pricks his ears.

"…when I get on your nerves, you… just…"

Was that a sob?

"…y-you just… hurt…"

It was.

"…me…"

The silver haired starts trembling all of a sudden, and before Kakuzu can take a closer look at his face, he has rolled onto his side with a jerk. He is covering his face with his hands, but even without seeing it, the miser can tell what is going on.

Although he hasn't expected this, the choking sobs coming from the small frame are music in his ears. It is fun to see him like that. Tough little Hidan curled up into a ball, biting down on his lip, but yet unable to control himself.

"You never cry, huh?", Kakuzu asks quietly, and this literally pushes Hidan over the edge. Tears start flowing down his reddened cheeks, and although one of his hands is pressed onto his mouth now, he can't keep quiet.

He is sobbing quietly now, his breath coming quick and in shallow pants, just like in the night when he was having the nightmare. Maybe this is why Kakuzu feels guilty all of a sudden. The image of shaking Hidan flailing in his arms is stuck on his mind, and whenever he thinks about it, it makes him feel bad. He doesn't exactly know why, but he never wants to see him like that again. Never.

"Hey", the miser finally says, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

With a jerk Hidan turns his head. His eyes are reddened and full of tears, but yet he manages to glare at Kakuzu.

"You asshole", he cries, his voice shaky and cracking, "I'm not crying cause you hit me, I'm crying cause I'm fucking happy!"

A hole. A big, black hole appears in front of Kakuzu's mind's eye, and for a moment, all his thoughts are about to be swallowed by it.

What the _hell_ is with this kid?

"Happy?", the miser asks.

He must have misheard.

Hidan faces away from him again, burying his face to the mattress. He doesn't say a word, he just continues sobbing, and the miser continues staring.

Only after what seems like an eternity, the silver haired is able to speak again.

"You know", he says, voice still a little shaky, "you're the first person to yell at me for years."

Kakuzu blinks.

"And that makes you happy?"

He doesn't get it. Not at all.

Hidan has finally calmed down a little, and directs his eyes at the other shinobi once again.

"Yeah", he says with a faint smile and wipes away his tears, "kinda."

Kakuzu lets out a sigh. If only this kid would talk in full sentences.

As if he had read his mind, Hidan goes on.

"You know", he slowly starts to explain, "in my home village…"

"Which is…", the miser interrupts.

The silver haired lifts his head, giving him a shy look.

"Which is Yuka…"

Kakuzu can't help but give him a content smile. This is just how he likes it. Controlling others without doing much, and finally getting some of the answers he wants.

"…things were different", Hidan continues.

Suddenly, the crimson eyes aren't sparkling with tears anymore, but look somewhat normal again. The boy sits up and clears his throat, and then continues to talk at his usual speed.

"I used to insult people all the time, you know", he says, "but they never got angry at me. Oh well, they did, but they didn't do anything. They didn't slap me, they didn't kick me, they didn't even fucking yell at me. They just smiled. All my life."

The miser is surprised.

"They just smiled?", he asks, "They didn't get mad at you one single time?"

He can't imagine this. Hidan got on his nerves the very first minute he saw him, and although he really tried, he couldn't hold back.

"Nope", the silver haired says, "they weren't allowed to."

"Not allowed to?", Kakuzu asks, "Why not?"

"Because I was… like… I was… I mean I _am_… the chosen one."

The miser blinks.

"The chosen one?"

Oh damn, if only he could stop sounding like a parrot.

"Yeah", Hidan says, "exactly. That's what they called me. The chosen one. The blessed child. The reincarnation of Jashin."

Kakuzu is close to repeating the word _reincarnation_, but this time he manages to control himself. He just raises an eyebrow.

He doesn't believe in things like that. He doesn't believe in rebirth. As far as he is concerned, after death there is nothing. That is why he doesn't want to die.

"And why", he asks lazily, "did they consider you the chosen one?"

"Oh well", Hidan replies, "there aren't too many immortal guys out there, you know? And if one happens to be born into a clan of religious people, they tend to believe he's blessed with divine power."

The miser pricks his ears. Divine power? Sounds interesting.

"And are you?", he asks curiously, "I mean – do you believe you are?"

The silver haired leans back, a smug smile on his face.

"I thought you didn't give a damn about what I believe in", he smirks.

Oh, what a pain.

"Right", Kakuzu growls, "I don't."

Hidan looks all cheerful now, happy and also a little bit thankful, and it keeps the banker going.

"You're a freak", he goes on, "but all members of the Akatsuki are. All my former partners have been freaks, too. I don't mind freaks, you know. I just want to know what kind of freak my new partner is."

The silver haired smirks.

"An immortal freak", he says.

"Yes. Right. An immortal freak."

Kakuzu can't help but grin. For a strange reason, this sounds good to him. Familiar, kind of.

_An immortal freak_. Just like him.

Maybe…

Maybe Konan is right.

Maybe this guy is the best partner he will ever have.

****

_Note:_

_This story is finished for once._

_Maybe I'll write some more chapters in the future that continue the plot; but this story is now complete._

_Hope you liked it.  
_


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